france and italy fear their car-making businesses could be hurt if imports from japan increase. many member nations doubt japan's willingness to lower in

public works and rail. the commission proposed the talks only on condition that the e.u. can pull out if there is no movement from a ja pan on these issues within a year. p japanese auto makers have been noticing a trend and hope to reverse their production levels in the country and keep falling. they were down again in october by nearly a half from nearly a year ago. tension between an ongoing territorial dispute between japan and china is the driver. toyota motors production in china was down more than 60% compared to the same month last year. nissan motors saw a 44% plunge. honda's output was down 54%, suzuki's 32%, and mazda's 27%. mitsubishi motors recorded the biggest fall among the six makers at nearly 85%. their total output in china plunged nearly 50% to about 150,000 units.

japanese auto exports to china also suffered. mazda shipped none last month. toyota's exports to china plunged by 91%, while nissan's fell by 75%. some of the automakers say customer traffic in some of their dealerships in china has recovered to the levels seen last year, but their plants in the country are still operating short of hours, further cutting into productivity. japanese automakers are raising presence in southeast asia and the united states to make up for plunging sales in china. toyota motor plans to start production at three new plants in thailand and indonesia by 2013. the company maintains a significant market share in both countries. nissan motors says output at its plant in thailand will start in 2014. it says it hopes to boost sales by nearly three times across southeast asia in four years. honda motor plans to boost

production capacity at its two u.s. plants next year. it says its factory in mexico now under construction should be ready for operation in 2014. the automakers say china remains an important market for them but they also need to quickly cultivate new demand outside china. top officials in south korea are trying to stay a few moves ahead of the reclusive and unpredictable neighbor. they want to stop north korean authorities from possibly launching a long-range missile, and so they've turned to china for help because it has a strong influence over the north. south korea's chief negotiator on north korea's nuclear development is visiting beijing. lim sung-nam will meet with senior chinese officials inwuding wu dawei. he's the chair of the six-party talks on north's nuclear program. >> translator: we will discuss the latest situation on the

korean peninsula. i hope to build closer ties with china. >> lim's visit comes nearly a week after an american satellite imagery firm tsunamied a photo showing activity at a missile launch site in north korea. analysts say authorities in the north have recently transported trucks and many fuel tanks to the site. it is the same location from which they tried, but failed, to launch a long-rain ballistic missile back in april. north korean officials say it was a satellite-carrying rocket. pob you louse, prosperous, pushing ahead. china's rise for wealth, power, and problems. an income gap divides its people. pollution threatens their health. and at sea strained relations with its neighbors. find out the challenges china faces on "newsline." >> territorial disputes cent

centering on the south china sea have caused continuing political repercussions. now i's affecting something else. travele travelers' pass portillos. patchari raksawong has the details. the philippine government says it will not stamp visas in new chinese passports that depict disputed islands. nhk world reports from manila. >> reporter: around 20 activists gathered near the chinese embassy in manila on thursday to denounce china's latest move in the ongoing row. this is a new passport design the chinese government has been issuing since may. the philippine government filed a protest with china over a map printed inside which includes islands claimed by both countries.

on wednesday, the philippine department of foreign affairs announced it will no longer issue visa stamps in the passports. >> we are saying that's fine, you can come into the philippines, but we will not stamp the passport which has this imprint. we will instead stamp a separate application, visa application. >> reporter: the redesign is sparking backlash in other countries. vietnam has been taking similar steps as the philippines, and india is also taking countermeasures. >> translator: don't read too much into the new design. we'll discuss this matter with related countries so people can cross borders freely. >> reporter: but for the philippines and other countries,

it's difficult not to see the change as a sign of china's true intentions, especially as the country is making moves to assert control over the south china sea. china's state-run xinhua news agency reports that hainan province in southern china has stopped customers in the region unless they have permission. in july, china formed a new administrative body that governs the disputed islands in the south china sea. hainan's new ordinance underpins the central government's hard-line strategy. china's top leadership changed hands this month, and the new regime is showing no sign of easing its tough stance on territorial issues involving the philippines and other neighbors.

keiichi tanaka, nhk world, manila. malaysia's rule cog ligs has been in power for more than half a century as the country's largest political party, it is supported by the malay ethnic majority. but it is feeling pressure as general elections are expected early next year. at a convention on thursday, the prime minister lashed out at the opposition. and here's the hands-on report from shi ka shi takaoka.

. >> reporter: many people who listened to the prime minister's speech felt the ruling coalition's sense of crisis. malaysia enjoyed steady economic growth under the strong leadership of the former prime minister who took office in 1981. such growth led the country to be dubbed the model student of southeast asia. the current ruling coalition has carried on stable rule. however, opposition has been mounting against the government's policy which favors majority malays. the ruling coalition lost many seats in 2008 elections amid criticism of this longtime rule and the growing frustration of ethnic minorities such as chinese and indians. the loss forced the prime minister to step down.

the opposition coalition is taking the offensive to serve as the deputy prime minister of the administration. he is is calling for a regime change as the first step in eliminating corruption and ethnic discrimination. prime minister najil advised members of his party to brace themselves for the coming election, saying things will be different this time around. the political battle is heating up between the camp and opponent who is are aiming for the first powership since the birth of the nation. chikashi takaoka, nhk world, kuala lumpur. >> that's going to wrap up our bulletin from bangkok. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. a court in south korea is dealing with a delicate legal matter that involves two of its closest neighbors. it has opened a hearing to determine whether to extradite a

chinese national to japan for starting a fire at the yasukuni shrine in tokyo. the site honors japan's war dead, including war criminals. tokyo police suspect 38-year-old liu qiang set fire to a gate at the shrine last december. he already served a ten-month prison term for throwing four firebombs at the japanese embassy in seoul in january. authorities in japan demanded his extradition after he finished serving time, but officials in china want liu sent home for humanitarian reasons. they say he suffers from mental illness. the chinese government helped assemble liu's defense team. liu told the seoul high court thursday he started the shrine fire because he was trying to correct the japanese government's historical views. he asked the court to send him back to china saying he would not get a fair trial in japan. liu's defense team said his crimes are considered political and he should not be handed over to japanese authorities. prosecutors countered liu does

not meet the definition of a political offender. the court has put off its decision until defense witnesses testify in two more rounds of hearings. managers of a tea company in western japan have issued a major recall. they're pulling 3 million packages of chinese oolong tea off the market. they found chemicals higher than the permitted standard in the product. the quay company is based in the city of koichi. representatives say the recall covers 30 types of black oolong tea bags. they say inspectors examined the tea bags and detected pesticides that exceed the law. they pulled about 900 tons off the province. authorities and officials say the pesticide levels do not pose a health risk even for people who consume the tea daily.

archaeologists say they've made an important finding that could alter the history of japan's system of riding. they say they found earthen ware that suggests that hiragana characters could date back farther than currently believed. last year's archaeologists in the ancient capital of kyoto excavated 20 plates and other pottery items from the ruins of the home of an aristocrat. they say it dates back to the late 9th century. hirogana has believed to have become an established form of writing in the 10th century. >> translator: a large amount of earthen ware was discovered in the home of a noble family. this means the aristocrats of

the time already had a good command of hiragana. >> they say it ho provides precious clues to how it involved in japan. visitors to kyoto at this time of year enjoy its gardens and temples against a backdrop of colorful autumn leaves. nhk world's rina nakano visited one temple known for both its beauty and its size and earlier filed this report. >> reporter: we're here just northeast of central kyoto station. it's been an important place for zen buddhism since its construction in the 13th century. visitors, when they come here, they get to stroll through the huge grounds, which include these -- 300 maple trees across the entire temple. now, this here is the temple's entryway. to be in the same picture as the whole thing you have to have

your camera stashed way back there. so it's pretty impressive. but to tell you exactly how impressive it is, it's actually six stories high. well, people say that it represents the size -- the size represents the power of the temple's patron. it's also a sign of respect for people who've died. temple officials say when people cross through it, they are entering into a sacred space. japan's government has designated this gateless gate as an important cultural property. but the gate didn't always look like this. the original burned down during the civil war. workers rebuilt this one here in the 1600s. so let's take a stroll right through the gate. you have to go through this right here, this big wooden block, and on the other side you'll see a beautiful array of maple trees. and if you walk a little bit further across this path that

you'll see, you'll actually find something completely different. beyond this you'll see something that is a little different. doesn't seem to quite fit with the rest of the temple, but that's what makes it so unique. along with traditional temple buildings, there's also a western-style aqueduct. the arched brick and granite waterway was built in the 19th century. people used it to transport water and goods to and from lake biwa in neighboring shiga prefecture. many protested its construction at the time because it is so drastically different from the rest of the temple. but now people say it fits right in. you can hear the water trickling through even today. and behind the aqueduct, you see the beautiful mountains right outside the city. well, it's beautiful and lovely, but it's also very romantic. the aqueduct is part of a path to the temple where couples can

take a stroll pimt's all beautiful here at nanzanji and you can only enjoy it for just a short while longer. they say the leaves will stay on the trees until early december. in kyoto, i'm rina nakano, nhk world. >> rina will be back on friday with our final segment in our autumn series from kyoto. thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for disposal. vast tracts of land waiting to be restored. overcoming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy. but step by step, people rl moving forward. find out how on "the road ahead" every wednesday at is p.m. japan time right here on "newsline." japan's oldest history book is a collection of myths about the country's creation and the

ancient gods. these stories form the inspiration for the latest works by fresco painter koje kinutani who is better known for his contemporary themes. we went to nara to find out why the artist changed his subject matter. >> reporter: the islands of japan were formed when dew drops from heaven fell into the sea as a divine couple stirred the tales of history using their spears. later, the gods descended to earth. the ancient myths of japan were first compiled in book form 1300 years ago. an exhibit of the ancient myths have opened in niigata.

these works feature bold predictions and vibrant color. the artist is one of japan's leading painters of frescos. he applies western classical techniques to his artworks, creating large-scale murals. he was born and raised in nara, the city of the many myths he depicts. he takes us to the scene of the earliest myth. >> translator: just look at that view. it's like a paradise on earth. you can just feel that nara was where ya pan originally began. >> reporter: since ancient times, japanese have believed that deities exist everywhere in

nature. and nara is one place where we can still feel the presence of the gods. the world of myth is transformed into this painting. >> translator: i think people used to have both a sense of awe and respect towards the power of nature. i think the myth teaches us to create strength from beauty and nature. >> translator: for kinutani these myths have had a deeper significance since witnessing the devastation of last year's massive quake and tsunami. he was awe struck by nature's pow power. in the past, people used to have this sense of awe all the time. kinutani believes the ancient

myths can help reawaken that sense of belief once again. a central motif in the art is the story of the sun goddess. she hid herself and her light inside a cave. the world was plunged into darkness, and evil spread. to lure her out, the other gods held a party, singing, laughing, and dancing. she peeked out to see what was going on. another god forced the cave open, dragged her out, and light was restored to the world. >> translator: we have always overcome natural disasters through our know-how and by working and praying together. i want my art to say we can rebound from the tragedy and the light will return in the century

ahead. >> reporter: living closer to nature, adopting a simpler lifestyle, and living in harmony with each other. inspired by the ancient myths, this is the message kinutani wants to convey, that we can create the future from the lessons of the past. miyuki tokoi, nhk world, nara. some wet weather forecast for tokyo today. meteorologist robert speta has more. robert? yes, we are seeing some rain showers move in from the west out across the area. going to be some light rain showers going through the overnight hours, but good news is that going into friday things are going to start to clear up, but not so much the case a little farther towards the north. on your thursday, you are seeing clearer weather through hokkaido and the north. but tomorrow, a weak disturbance setting up in some of the higher

elevations in northern hokkaido, you could be seeing up to 40 centimeters of snowfall accumulating here. so definitely another winter storm is going to be starting to move in here towards the south clearing up, but farther towards the west in southeastern china we have this stationary boundary which is lingering here. and it's doing just that, remaining stationary. in the past several days you've seen 100 to 200 millimeters of rainfall. fujian province, flooding already occurring. further flooding is expected because you'll be seeing about an additional half centimeter of rainfall with this system as it lingers going through the weekend. looking farther towards the south, though, across the philippines, clear weather is in place now. look out here towards the east. we have a storm pushing off towards the west. this is tropical storm bofa. current winds about 83 kilometers per hour, but the big thing is it's going to be intensifying towards the west, affecting palau first.

you'll be expecting storm surge tuesday into wednesday. anybody along the eastern seaboard here, you want to be watching this closely as it continues to develop and pushes off there towards the west. let's take a look at the americas because also a storm system moving onshore into the pacific northwest. this is bringing some very gusty winds. actually up to about 100 kilometers per hour right near the shorelines here. you see all these lines very close together. that's also streaming heavy moisture onshore. about over the next several days 250 millimeters of rain falling here in northern california. flooding is already occurring, and as this moisture continues to come in, looks like that is going to be continuing to pick up. so very dangerous situation here. but also very messy picture across much of the region and some of the mountain passes here into the rockies, you could be seeing up to a 157 centimeters of snowfall accumulating here over the next three days. so great for skiers. if you do that, you're going to be very happy with the snowfall.

but if you're planning on travlg through here, messy picture across much of the pacific northwest. let's take a look at europe now. we also have a messy picture here. we have a storm lingering over italy here. this has been bringing some very severe weather. in southern italy yesterday there was a tornado. i want to show you a video of this tornado coming out from here. it made some widespread damage through the area. actually, one person is still missing that fell from a crane from one of the largest steel plants here in europe. and 20 people are also injured, nine of them being children. and unfortunately, this tornado, people are still recovering from this, but the rough weather is continuing to linger here in southern italy with this storm system. it's continuing to persist. talking about 90-kilometer-per-hour straight-line winds still in your forecast, heavy rainfall bringing the risk of flooding and even landslides. and you're still seeing rough weather. farther towards the north, cold air seeping out of the polar regions. temperatures are cooling off in

london, 4 for your high. overnight temperatures, this will be getting well below zero. now here's a look at your extended forecast. ♪

with just a month to go until the end of the year, many people are busy making preparations. most japanese people visit a temple or a shrine during the new year holidays. fukuoka's dazaifu-tenmangu shrine is one of the most popular such destinations in western japan. female priestesses are busy making good-luck charms that feature the image of a snake, next year's zodiac sign. they are believed to bring good luck to their owners. they are attached to arrows decorated with a plum blossoms, a symbol of the shrine. >> translator: while i make each item, i wish everyone a happy and healthy life. >> around 100,000 such ornaments will be fashioned through the end of december. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.